Environmental Groups Plan To Sue Manatee County Over Piney Point Toxic Wastewater Proposal

MANATEE COUNTY, FL — Conservation groups say they’re going to sue Manatee County over its plans to use a deep well injection to remove wastewater underground at the Piney Point site in Palmetto.

The site, a former Palmetto phosphate fertilizer processing, experienced a significant wastewater reservoir breach in March and April. During this breach, the radioactive gypstack at the site nearly collapsed, prompting officials to order an emergency evacuation in the area.

About 215 million gallons of contaminated water was pumped into Tampa Bay to alleviate pressure on the system and prevent a larger wastewater breach.

This wastewater “spread throughout the estuary and into Sarasota Bay, transporting tons of nitrogen and other pollutants into waterways and communities and spurring a red-tide bloom that killed thousands of tons of marine life, including sea turtles and manatees,” according to a news release from the Center for Biological Diversity.

Related Stories:

• Third Party Appointed To Oversee Piney Point Closure: FDEP
• Concern Grows About Rainfall Capacity At Piney Point: FDEP
• FDEP Sues Piney Point Owners For Contaminated Wastewater Breach
• $9M Deep Injection Well OK'd For Piney Point Wastewater Removal
• Piney Point Lawsuit Filed Against DeSantis, State Of FL

In April, Manatee County commissioners approved a more than $9 million deep well injection to remove the remaining contaminated wastewater at Piney Point.

Several environmental groups — the Center for Biological Diversity, Tampa Bay Waterkeeper, Suncoast Waterkeeper and Our Children’s Earth Foundation — filed a notice of its intent to sue Manatee County over its deep well injection plan Wednesday.

“This risky, shortsighted plan would be a dangerous experiment and set a troubling precedent for how we handle failing phosphogypsum stacks,” Jaclyn Lopez, Florida director at the Center for Biological Diversity, said. “The Florida Department of Environmental Protection recently approved the expansion of the sinkhole-prone New Wales gypstack, deepening Florida’s commitment to living with these toxic waste sites for generations. It’s easy to envision them granting another deep well injection permit the next time something else goes wrong.”

Under the Manatee County proposal, Piney Point’s radioactive waste would be injected underground, threatening the groundwater supplies that millions of Floridians depend on for drinking water, CBD said.

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The Florida Department of Environmental Protection is accepting comments on Manatee County’s deep well injection request until its Oct. 6 hearing.

This complaint will be the latest in a series of lawsuits filed in relation to the spring wastewater breach at Piney Point.

In June, the same group of environmental organizations filed a lawsuit against Gov. Ron DeSantis, the FDEP secretary, HRK Holdings, LLC — the Piney Point property’s owner — and the Manatee County Port Authority for the release of the wastewater into Tampa Bay.

Neighbors of the site filed a class-action lawsuit against the HRK Holdings, LLC at the end of April.

The FDEP filed a complaint against HRK Holdings, seeking injunctive relief, cost recovery, attorney’s fees, damages and civil penalties, in August. As a result, a judge ordered an independent third party to oversee the management and closure of Piney Point.